Misfits In Action
by William Lamb
Summary: The Regulators are a mixed-gender team from the United States who are given an unique opportunity to participate in the International Goodwill Tournament. What challenges await both them and the Ooarai team?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own the name or canon characters of the Girls Und Panzer manga or anime.  
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_Author's Note:While this particular concept has been done to death, I will at least try to put a unique spin on it. There will be various song cues in certain areas. If you do not own the CDs themselves, they can usually be found on social media.  
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**Chapter One: Desert Thunder.**

In the desert region of New Mexico, a squad of tanks roared through a narrow canyon in search of their prey. The tanks were all of British origin and built during the Second World War and consisted of two Matildas that flanked a Churchill VII while a pair of Crusaders completed the formation. On the turrets of each tank was an emblem consisting of a light blue shield with a teapot and cup. The emblem of St. Gloriana Girls High School located in Yokohama City in Japan.

Inside the Churchill, Commander Darjeeling, an attractive young woman with braided blonde hair and light blue eyes, took a leisurely sip of her tea and smiled as she peered out the viewport of the tank's turret to see the sun dropping behind the far-off ridge line in the distance and the clouds themselves turn a dark purple.

_Such a beautiful and rugged country. I most certainly must try to visit the United States more often._ Darjeeling's thoughts were broken by the voice of Assam, a girl with long, rolling blonde hair that was tied back by a black ribbon who served as the tank's gunner.

"We're five miles from the end of the canyon, Commander!" she said, her tone making it clear that she was quite anxious for the upcoming battle.

With a nod of understanding, Darjeeling picked up the headset that was connected to the Churchill's radio. "Attention!" she said in a firm voice. "All tanks stay alert and be prepared for anything! We are almost to the pass and the enemy could reveal themselves at any time! Once we reach the pass, we shall assume defensive positions and hold the pass for as long as possible!"

At this point, Darjeeling's best friend, a strawberry-blond called Orange Pekoe, chose to speak up. "I certainly hope that our current opponents turn out better than the school in California. I thought for certain that Earl Grey was going to kill that headmistress of theirs!"

At the thought of Ridgewater's Prep School for Girls in Beverly Hills, California, Darjeeling suppressed a shudder at the memory. The students themselves had been a joy to associate with, but their headmistress, Penelope Ridgewater, was such an obnoxious and rude woman that Darjeeling's _sempai _had come rather close to denying them entry into the new International Goodwill Tournament. The only thing that had kept her from doing so were the aforementioned students, whose tankery team were as talented as the other teams belonging to the North American Tankery League.

The only team left to test was the one Darjeeling was now preparing to do battle with here in New Mexico.

"From what I have heard from the other schools, the Regulators of John Tunstall High School will be a most interesting addition to the Goodwill Tournament. They are the only co-ed team in the North American Tankery League and what footage I have seen of them, they seem to be quite the bold group of fighters. I _do _envy the school that draws their name!"

Darjeeling's attention was the brought to the entrance to the pass that appeared ahead of the tank squadron. Speaking once more into the radio, she ordered. "We are now at the area known as Antrim's Pass! Assume defensive positions! We'll give our opponents one tough nut to crack!" Then to the Churchill's driver, she ordered. "Go into the pass itself and dig in!"

As the tank pulled into the pass, something flashed in the corner of Darjeeling's vision and the St. Gloriana commander looked in that direction to see something on top of the ridge opposite the pass reflecting the sunlight. A certain sign that the enemy was up there watching them. With a smile, Darjeeling said. "Good luck to you, Commander Walker. I certainly hope that your team are the fighters that I believe you to be!"

* * *

><p>On top of the ridge that stood opposite of Antrim's Pass, seventeen year old Byron Walker frowned as he observed the St. Gloriana team setting up their defensive perimeter around the entrance to the pass. Lowering his field glasses, he glanced over at his friend and second-in-command of the Tunstall High Regulators, a half-White, half-Native American teen by the name of Cody "Iron-Eyes" Parker. Iron-Eyes had earned his moniker through his abilities as a tank gunner. It was said that he could spot a flea at five hundred yards and after seeing some of the shots Iron-Eyes had made in the past, Byron had no choice but to believe the rumors.<p>

"Well, it looks like our guests have arrived." Byron said.

"It's going to be difficult." Iron-Eyes nodded as he studied the defensive line as well as the surrounding terrain. "The area's far too open to allow for a surprise attack and they have their tanks pointing in all directions. And then there's the Churchill hunkered down in the pass itself..."

"It's going to be harder than trying to hug a cactus!" the boy on Byron's other side stated, his voice shaking slightly. This second boy was tall and gangly with blonde hair and freckles across his nose. As he spoke, Dustin "Dusty" Williams eyed the defensive formation with apprehension. "Man, why did we have to wait for them to get into position before being allowed to attack?"

Byron shrugged. "I guess that they wanted to see if we could handle the pressure. In any case, all we can do is launch a direct frontal assault and hope for the best. Let's go!"

Standing up, Byron led the way down the hill to the rally point where the Regulator tanks and crew members stood waiting. So far, the Regulator tank composition were made up of two M4A6 Shermans, two Sherman Fireflys, and two M26 Pershings. While these six tanks had done well thus far, the team's instructor felt that a bit more versatility would prove more effective and thus, had placed an order for new tanks of various types that would be deployed according to the type of battleground as well as to match whatever their opponents had.

Looking at each of his team members, Byron immediately noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Martha and Mary?" he asked a tall thin girl with short hair that had been dyed pink. The girl was called Dixie and she was the commander of one of the Pershings that had been given the call sign of _Southern Belle. _At his question, Dixie crossed her arms and sighed.

"Their Kettenkrad threw a track so they had to stop and fix it." she said. "They should be here soon."

"Here they come!" one of Dixie's crew members announced, pointing at something behind the tanks.

Looking in that direction, Byron sighed with relief as he watched the SdFfz 2 half-track pull to a stop beside Byron's own tank; a Sherman called _Puma. _Riding on the motorcycle-like vehicle were Byron's fourteen year old identical twin cousins, Mary and Martha Walker. Both girls had black hair (Mary wore hers in a high ponytail while Martha let hers hang down around her shoulders) but while Mary's eyes were grey, Martha's were blue. Despite their ages and innocent looks, the twins were among the most relentless Tank Chasers in the North American Tankery League.

The use of Tank Chasers was a relatively new idea to North American Tankery, having come into existence some twenty years before due to some tankers finding some anti-tank infantry weapons like bazookas and panzershrecks and altering the rockets to fit the standard regulations. The rules stated that tanks were not allowed to fire at the Tank Chasers but rather, attempt to evade and escape. In short, the Tank Chasers were used to test a tank driver's skills even further. In return, the Chasers were allowed only three shots per tank before they had to cease pursuit and find another target.

"Okay. Now that everyone is here, let's go over the current sit-rep!" Laying the map of the area down onto the warm green metal of the _Puma's _front, Byron waited until each of his tank commanders had gathered around him. Pointing at the area of the map that indicated Antrim's Pass, Byron continued. "The St. Gloriana team have their tanks in defensive positions around the entrance to the pass while the flag tank is dug in somewhere within the pass itself. And since the other side of the pass has collapsed in on itself, this here is the only way in or out."

"Which means we're going to have a bloody swell time getting at that Churchill!" a boy said in a English accent. The boy's name was Ian Turing but everyone called him Bulldog due to his having been born in London to a British man and an American woman as well as his love for a good fight. He was the same height as Byron with orange hair cropped short, black eyes, and dressed in a uniform reminiscent of the British 6th Airborne. He had chosen this particular uniform due to his great-grandfather having served with that particular unit during the Second World War. He commanded the second Pershing which was called _Big Ben. _

"If only we could find a quick and quiet way through the closed-off section of the pass..." Bulldog continued grimly.

By this time, Mary had jumped up on the front of the _Puma _and pointed at a section of the map that indicated the ridge running around the interior of the pass. "You may not be able to get your tanks in through the rear entrance of the pass..." she said. "But Martha and I were riding our dirt bikes out here a few days ago and we found a way up to the top of this section here!"

"Can we get our tanks up on it?" Dixie asked in a hopeful manner. Mary shook her head in response.

"Sorry, but the way is too narrow to allow a tank to get up it. But, Martha and I can get our Kettenkrad up there and then I'll be able to hit that Churchill with a few rockets. I don't know if I'll be able to take it out or scare them out into the open where you can deal with them but I'll do what I can!"

"Well, that's the easy part taken care of, at least..." Byron sighed.

"But _we _still have to figure out some way to deal with that vanguard they got sitting out there!" As he spoke, Dusty chucked a rock at the nearby section of the ridge they had used for an observation post and watched as the impact caused a section to break off and fall to the ground, the final result being a cloud of dust rose from the ground and hung in the air for a few moments before drifting away with the breeze.

"Dusty! Do that again!"

"Huh?" Dusty gave Byron a confused look. "What for, By?"

"Just do it again!" the leader of the Regulators ordered. Still not understanding what had Byron so excited, Dusty tossed another rock into the section, this time causing a slightly larger cloud of dust. Upon seeing the result, Byron's grin grew larger. Turning around to face his teammates, he said...

"Regulators, saddle up! Dusty just gave us our game plan!"

As the others headed for their tanks, Byron, Iron-Eyes, and Dusty all climbed into the _Puma. _Easing himself down through the Commander's hatch in the turret section, Byron smiled as he saw the last two members of his tank crew making the final preparations. At the _Puma's _helm, the driver, Melody "Chase" Taylor tied her long red hair back into a ponytail while her grey eyes narrowed in concentration as she prepared herself for the upcoming fight while a thirteen year old girl with shoulder-length brown hair and dressed in pink overalls with a matching pink cap and a white t-shirt sat at the tank's radio. This last member of Byron's tank crew was his own little sister, Cathy. However, she preferred to go by her nickname of Pixie. Pixie served as the _Puma's _radiogirl and primary mechanic.

"You two ready to get to work?" Byron asked as he settled himself into his seat.

"I'm ready to rock and roll!" Chase answered.

"I'm ready and so is the _Puma!_" Pixie cheered.

Nodding in approval, Byron put on his eye goggles and radio headset. Once he was ready, he spoke into the radio transmitter. "All tanks, report status!"

_"Southern Belle is ready to roll, sugar!" _Dixie reported.

_"Big Ben here, we're ready to toll their final hour!" _Bulldog's voice said through the radio receiver.

_"Rhino, ready!" _

_"Longshot, ready!" _

_"War Chief, ready!" _

"Alright Regulators... _ROLL OUT!_"

* * *

><p><strong>Music: Quigley Down Under 08. The Attack<br>**

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><p>Moving as one unit, the six Regulator tanks charged forward at the same time Mary and Martha broke away from the group to head off to the position where they intended to attack the St. Gloriana flag tank. In the back of the Kettenkrad, Mary hurried to assemble her M9 Bazooka while kicking the lid open on the case that held her supply of M6A3 rockets.<p>

_"So, what's the game plan?" _Bulldog asked as the team moved into attack formation, accelerating to top speed as they did so.

"You guys all saw what happened when Dusty tossed that rock? We're going to use our tank shells to do the same thing to the entrance to Antrim's Pass. Hopefully, this will kick up enough dust to hamper the enemy's defensive capabilities and give us the leverage that we need to move in and get the job done!" Byron then smiled to himself as he added. "And if we win this match, we'll be on our way to Japan and the International Goodwill Tournament!"

"Why are you so anxious to go to Japan?" Dusty asked as he loaded a shell into the breach of the _Puma's _cannon.

"Maybe because this will be our last year together as a team..." Byron answered somberly. "This is our Senior year, guys, and once it ends, the Regulators will be gone forever and a new team will take our place. Wouldn't you at least like to end our time together by taking part in something special? To at least have the opportunity to face a different group of opponents instead of the same ones over and over again?"

"Even if those opponents are all girls?"

"They're tankers, Dusty! Just like we are! And if they love the game as much as we do then it really doesn't matter what they are, in my opinion! Okay, we're entering the danger zone!"

The next second, the six American tanks roared out of the safety of the canyon they had been sheltered in and into the open area. Just ahead, the entrance to Antrim's Pass could clearly be seen and it would only be a matter of minutes when the Tunstall High team would find themselves in plain view of the enemy tanks.

"As soon as we have line of sight on the St. Gloriana tanks, everyone fire one shot at the ridge wall in order to cause as big a dust cloud as you can!" Byron ordered into his radio transmitter. "Afterwards, Dixie, you and Bulldog focus your fire on those Matildas. I'll take _War Chief _and try and flank their defensive line from the right! _Rhino, _you flank left with _Longshot._"

The moment Byron finished giving his orders, a series of explosions erupted around the charging tanks. _"Bloody hell! They've spotted us!" _Bulldog's voice swore as the Regulators found themselves advancing under fire.

"Steady everyone!" Byron ordered in a firm manner even as he felt the adrenaline start pumping through his veins. Up ahead, he could see the cannons of the enemy tanks lighting up as they hurled round after round at the attacking Americans. "Okay, that's it! OPEN FIRE!"

Almost immediately, the cannons of the Regulator tanks belched fire and smoke as they fired at the sandstone walls of Antrim's Pass, the resulting explosions causing large chunks of sandstone to come crashing to the ground and the St. Gloriana defenders soon found themselves engulfed in a giant cloud of dust that obscured their vision of the battlefield.

Seeing this, Byron smiled as he gave his next order. "Now's our chance! Break and attack!"

With a happy war whoop, Chase sent the _Puma _into a tight right turn with one of the Sherman Fireflys following close behind while the other two Shermans, _Rhino _and _Longshot_ cut left towards the enemy's other flank. Meanwhile, _Southern Belle _and _Big Ben _took up firing positions in front of the enemy defense line and opened up on the Matilda tanks in the same manner as a firing squad; targeting first one and then the other and it wasn't long before the British tanks were defeated.

As he stared at the defeated British tanks, Bulldog shook his head as he stated. "As a native born Englishman, it breaks my heart to see those beauties destroyed." Then to his crew, he said. "Well ladies and gents, let's go give the Commander a hand!"

As it turned out, Byron had things well in hand as the four Sherman tanks flanked the Crusaders and swiftly dealt with them at close range. It wasn't long before St. Gloriana's entire defensive line had been obliterated. Sticking his head out the hatch, Byron watched as the crew members of the defeated tanks exited their vehicles and gathered together in the midst of their crumpled vehicles. Having Chase pull the _Puma _up alongside them, Byron looked down at them. "Is anyone injured?" he asked with genuine concern. After all, this was just a game and Byron didn't like it when people got hurt while having fun; whether it be members of his own team or those of the opposing team.

"No sir, we're all fine!" one of the Crusader commanders responded in a shaky voice. "We're all just a little shaken up but that's about it!"

"Glad to hear that..." Byron nodded with relief before pointing at an area in the center of the open battlefield. "You should move your people over to that second rise. There's a couple of helicopters coming in and they can transport you out of harm's way!"

Turning to her comrades, the Crusader commander called out. "You heard him! Everyone follow me!"

As the St. Gloriana team made their way to the extraction point, Byron turned his attention towards the pass. Even though they had taken out the front line defenders, the Churchill itself was still inside an excellent defensive position. Just one lucky shot and Darjeeling would render any assault impossible.

"I wonder how the lovely Commander Darjeeling's going to handle being the only one left?" Bulldog questioned.

* * *

><p>"WHAT?!"<p>

As she practically yelled this one word in shock, Darjeeling's tea cup fell from her hand and smashed apart on the Churchill's deck panel while the commander's face took on an expression of absolute shock as she listened to the transmission coming through her headset. "_Everyone?_...But how?...the Regulators did _what?_...I see...yes, it _is _most impressive...I understand..."

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" Pekoe asked as Darjeeling ended the transmission. In response, Darjeeling shook her head in an effort to rid herself of the last remaining elements of the shock she had just received.

"It seems that the team from Tunstall High School are far more clever than we had at first anticipated!" the blonde commander responded. "As a matter of fact, they have just one-upped Ooarai by wiping out our entire force!"

"What?" Pekoe asked is shock.

"But...but _how?_" Assam asked, her soft voice filled with awe.

"My dears, you would not believe me even if I told you! I can scarcely believe it myself!" Darjeeling finally managed to overcome her shock and her face became a mask of grim determination as she firmly stated. "We are the last tank and our back is to the wall! Let them come but I promise you that we _will _get our licks in!"

The words were no sooner out of her mouth when the Churchill suddenly and violently lurched as the sound of an explosion sounded from outside. "Here they come! Assam, you may fire at will!"

"Fire at what, ma'am?" the gunner questioned, a look of confusion on her features. "There's nothing out there."

The Churchill was rocked once more by another explosion. Slamming her hands down on her seat in frustration, Darjeeling exclaimed. "Well, _something's _attacking us!" Standing up, Darjeeling unlocked the turret hatch and poked her head out to see what had happened. Looking down at the rear section of her tank, she immediately saw the black smoke that was rising up from the area that had been hit. While the damage done hadn't completely disabled the Churchill, it had come quite close.

Now, what could have caused...?

_"HI, COMMANDER DARJEELING!" _

At the sound of the young female voice that echoed throughout the pass, a startled Darjeeling looked up and gasped at the sight of Mary Walker standing with her bazooka on the top ledge of the canyon wall that was directly behind the Churchill. As she loaded another rocket into the anti-tank weapon, Mary called down to the St. Gloriana commander once more. "I'M GETTING READY TO TAKE MY LAST SHOT, SO YOU'LL WANT TO TAKE COVER INSIDE YOUR TANK! YOU SEEM LIKE A NICE LADY AND I DON'T WANT TO ACCIDENTALLY HURT YOU!"

After blinking in surprise a few times, Darjeeling chuckled to herself in spite of the situation. "My, such a considerate young lady!" she said to herself before retreating back into the Churchill's turret and quickly closing the hatch. As she sat back down to wait for Mary to take her last shot, Darjeeling sighed as the Churchill was rocked by the resulting exploding rocket.

Emerging once more from her turret, Darjeeling smiled as she saw that her tank was still active. "Well, young Mary," she called up to the bazooka-wielding Tank Chaser. "It was certainly a most worthy effort, but I'm afraid that my tank's armor is simply too thick for your rockets!"

Mary shrugged with indifference. "That's okay." she said. "Because my cousin's here now!"

Hearing what sounded like an over-sized lawn mower, Darjeeling whirled around to see the _Puma _tearing through the entrance and down into the pass at full speed while the Sherman's turret slowly turned to take aim at the Churchill.

"FIRE ASSAM! FIRE!" Darjeeling commanded as she withdrew back down into the tank even as the _Puma _fired off a round as it charged into the area, causing the British tank to rock violently as the rock formation next to it was disintegrated in an explosion that showered the Churchill with dust and rock. Inside the Churchill, Assam trained her sights on the attacking Sherman, waiting until it was in the area directly in front of them before squeezing the trigger, prompting the Churchill's main gun to emit a loud bang as the round fired out to strike the _Puma _in the side. As the resulting explosion died away, the dust cleared to show the Sherman dead in the water with its white flag deployed.

Emerging from her hatch, Darjeeling smiled at Byron as he stuck his head out of his own hatch. "Well, Commander Walker, I was not expecting so bold a charge! I do hope that you're unhurt."

"I'm fine, Commander Darjeeling." Byron nodded. "But you might want to get back in your tank one more time."

At this, Darjeeling looked back up towards the entrance to the pass to see _Big Ben _stopped just inside the entrance; the Pershing's cannon already aimed at the Churchill. Byron's attack had only been a ruse to draw the Churchill crew's attention to his tank while Bulldog used the distraction to roll his tank into position safely.

"Oh dear." Darjeeling now had a good idea what a jack-in-the-box went through as she took cover once more just as the pass was filled with the roar of the Pershing's gun as it shot the rear of the Churchill, causing enough damage to cause the British tank's white flag to deploy.

* * *

><p>Several miles away inside the tower that served as the tower for referees and other officials, Colonel Harold Sinclair, the Tankery instructor for Tunstall High, smiled as he observed his team's victory on the large viewing monitor.<p>

"Well, Captain Chono, what do you think of my kids?" he asked his companion, a young Japanese woman dressed in the uniform of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces. In order to compete in the International Goodwill Tournament, the guest schools had to become aligned with a host school and so far, Captain Ami Chono, the Sensha-dou instructor for the Ooarai Girls High School had been the only instructor to take an actual interest in the Regulators; which is why she had flown from Japan to New Mexico to assist Earl Grey and Darjeeling in evaluating each team in the North American Tankery League.

At his question, Chono smiled as she responded. "Their style is rather unorthodox, they're bold, inventive, and have much in common with my team. I am of the opinion that both of our teams will be able to learn much from each other. In short, Colonel, I think I'll take them!"

Her answer caused Sinclair to smile even bigger than he had been. "I'm certain that neither you or your girls will be disappointed. Your girls may be passing out from the shock of working with American male counterparts, though."

Chono laughed. "I assure you, sir, that the girls of the Ooarai team can handle anything that is thrown at them!"

"Well, that's good!" Sinclair said shrewdly. "Because I have an idea on how to let your team know what a good deal they'll be getting with the Regulators!" Chono remained silent but it was clear that Sinclair had her undivided attention so the Colonel continued. "Now I know that the other schools in your country are just taking whatever teams they want without even seeing what they can do!"

"But I just saw what your team can do." Chono stated.

"But your girls haven't!" Sinclair argued. "So, I suggest that we give them the opportunity to not only meet their future teammates, but also give them a deeper understanding on how beneficial it will be to have the Regulators working with them."

"I see what you are getting at now! You are proposing a friendly match between the two teams in order to allow them an opportunity to see in what ways they can bolster each other!"

"Exactly. Now let's head to the Briefing Room and await for the team members to arrive so we can give them the good news!"


	2. Briefings and New Weapons

_Author's Note: Just a brief explanation for those of you who may be curious about some of the characters. The character of Iron-Eyes is my tribute to the Native American troops who served during WW2 as well as a tribute to the late iconic actor Iron-Eyes Cody and Quanah Parker (Comanche war chief and a distant relation of mine.) Bulldog is my tribute to Alan Turing as well as the British troops who perished during Operation: Market-Garden. He's also a slight tribute to Winston Churchill.  
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_Also, Tunstall, New Mexico, High School, and other institutions is my personal tribute to John Tunstall, who was the first man murdered in what would become known as the Lincoln County War. And yes, I am kind of giving the Regulators a western-like feel similar to Young Guns since I love Westerns and Young Guns happens to be among my favs.  
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_And for those of you who keep asking if Byron's going to be romantically involved with Miho, I haven't planned out any romantic attachments but I'll create one ONLY if it helps to serve the story since I want to build this new storyline around the strength of friends and family. But in any case, OC-Miho has been done to death! I'd probably lean towards an OC-Hana or an OC-OC.  
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**Chapter 2: Briefings and New Weapons.  
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The Briefing Room turned out to be the auditorium of an old land-based high school that had been shut down and was now used as the team headquarters whenever they played a home match. Sinclair stood at the podium, smiling as the Regulators poured into the room, laughing and joking as they took up the first two rows closest to the stage. At the same time, Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe, and Assam took up seats on the stage beside Captain Chono. Once the tank team had seated themselves and quieted down to hear what their instructor had to say, Sinclair began speaking.

"Well done, team." he said, smiling down at the teenagers. "That was one hell of an attack plan you kids pulled off today!"

"Well, we have Dusty to thank for that, sir." Byron offered as he gestured over at the blonde-haired loader. "He was the one who provided the idea to use the terrain to create a pseudo-smokescreen in order for us to get close enough to the St. Gloriana vanguard and take them out!"

"And quite the excellent idea it was!" Darjeeling spoke up, her words of praise causing Dusty to sink low in his seat in order to hide his blush. After waiting for the teasing laughter to subside, Sinclair continued...

"And now, Regulators, I will get to the heart of the matter: the next match that you participate in... will be in Japan!"

"YEAH!" Byron yelled as the entire room exploded in loud cheers as the team exchanged high-fives with other.

"And now that you've been given the good news, I will now let Captain Ami Chono fill you in on the details."

As Sinclair took his seat, Chono stood up from her chair and approached the podium. Smiling down at the group of American teenagers before her, she began her briefing. "As you have already been informed, the Senshdou Federation and the North American Tankery League have been meeting together over the past few months and the International Goodwill Tournament is the result of those meetings. In order to take part in this competition, those members of the North American Tankery League _must _be aligned with a host school. Tunstall High School will be partnered with Ooarai Girls High School; the winners of last year's tournament."

"Ma'am, who else from the NATL will be taking part in this tournament?" Byron asked, raising his hand.

"So far, the Lone Star and Maple Leaf Military Academies have been given host schools: Lone Star with Saunders Girls High School and the Maple Leaf Tankery team has been partnered with Pravda. Currently, negotiations are under way in order to partner the Ridgewater Prep School with Anzio."

At the mention of the Ridgewater School, a round of groans and snickers circulated throughout the room as Bulldog said "You mean you're going to inflict this Anzio school with the Pink Poodle? God help those poor girls!"

Chono frowned at the English boy's comment. "I fail to understand the meaning behind your words, Mr. Turing. Would you mind elaborating?"

"What he means, ma'am..." Byron volunteered when Bulldog hesitated. "Is that the present commander of the Ridgewater team is an excellent commander, and I mean _excellent! _She is the only one to actually have us on the ropes almost from the outset each time we're faced them! The problem is...the reason why we've managed to beat them is because their headmistress is a glory hog. Whenever the Ridgewater team even comes close to victory, Mrs. Ridgewater will take over command of her school's team and things go downhill for them from there! Just once, I would love to meet the Ridgewater team _without _any outside interference!"

"I can attest to Commander Walker's description of Mrs. Ridgewater's character." Darjeeling nodded. "During our testing of them, Ridgewater's headmistress attempted to do just as the Commander has described and was prevented from doing so by Earl Grey. I will be informing the Senshadou Federation as this is an issue that must be addressed and dealt with _before _the start of the tournament!"

Chono nodded in agreement. "Are there any other questions?" she asked, not in the least surprised as Byron raised his hand. "Yes Commander?"

"Yes ma'am. In regards to this joining up with this Ooarai School, I understand that it's an all-girl's school and I'm a bit worried about living conditions since we'll be there for a year and half of us being...well, being what we are...we won't have to make any _awkward _arrangements, will we?"

Blinking in surprise, Chono smiled as she replied. "Commander, you seem to be asking all of the right questions! The school ships housing Ooarai and Tunstall High will be side-by-side at all times so you will not have to worry about the need to change your living conditions. Also, in the spirit of unity, education, and cooperation, students from both sides will be allowed to visit the other as long as you obey the rules which shall be sent to you by e-mail." the JGSDF officer's face then became serious. "And while we are on the subject, I feel obligated to explain this to you now; during the course of the tournament, leadership duties will be split between Commander Walker and Ooarai's Commander Nishizumi!"

"That's stupid!" Dusty exclaimed.

"No, Dusty, it's actually logical." Byron stated simply.

"_How _is taking command of the Regulators away from you _logical?_"

Bulldog leaned forward in his seat and put his hand on Dusty's shoulder. "Let me break it down for you, mate..." he said before going into what the British teen hoped was a simple explanation. "By isn't losing his status as our commander, he's _sharing _it! Are you with me so far?"

"I...think so...yeah..." Dusty nodded.

"Now Lone Star is teaming up with this Saunders, right? Now, this Ooarai lot has never faced Lone Star but they _have _taken on Saunders. _Us, _on the other hand, we _have _gone up against Lone Star but never Saunders! So therefore, there is the necessity to make By and this Nishizumi person _co-commanders! _You get it now?"

"Not really..." Dusty answered with a frown of confusion.

"Judas Priest, lad!" Bulldog hissed. "I just sat here and gave you a simplified explanation! You don't wear your protective headgear, do you?"

"How'd you know?" Dusty asked with a smile of complete innocence. Bulldog gaped at him for a few seconds before sitting back in his chair.

"Never mind." he grumbled while Byron, Dixie, and Iron-Eyes fought to contain their laughter.

Meanwhile, Captain Chono had resumed her seat while Colonel Sinclair took the podium, this time with a stack of papers in his hand. "Regulators, let me have your attention!" he ordered. Once all eyes were on him, he nodded. "Good. Now while each of you are familiar and comfortable with the tanks you presently operate, you should also know that they are not good enough for some situations! Last year's attempt at the Armored Core competition was clear proof of that fact! If the alliance between Tunstall and Ooarai wants to be victorious, then versatility will need to be the key to that victory! To that end, I did some shopping around and have acquired a fleet of new tanks of various types. Now, you can either find new crews for these vehicles or you can simply switch between your standard tanks and these new ones to throw the competition off balance. I suggest that you do both! My aide will now pass out the lists of what we now have sitting in the Tunstall ship's motor pool."

As Sinclair's assistant handed him a sheet of paper containing the list of the new tanks, Byron began reading it in order to try and come up with an early game plan for them. The lists were all organized by country and followed by the number of tanks and their models:

_United States: 3 M10 Wolverine_

_2 M18 Hellcat_

_4 M3 Lee_

_Great Britain: 6 Crusader_

_4 Centurion Mk 1._

_ 2 Matilda_

_1 Churchill._

_2 Cromwell._

_Germany: 3 PzKpfwVI Tiger 1._

_ 3 PzKpfwVIB Tiger2 _

_ 1 (CLASSIFIED) _

"Um, excuse me, sir!" Byron called out. "But why is this last German tank listed as being "Classified"?"

"That is because Tunstall High School acquired _that _particular tank from the school in Germany, which has recently fallen on hard times and they were unable to keep up with the repairs on that particular tank!" Sinclair answered. "And since that particular tank requires a lot of repairs, it's existence will be kept under wraps until the repairs have been completed and the Senshadou officials have had a chance to inspect it!"

"Understood, sir!" Byron nodded before reading the last section; this one including a list of Italian models.

_Italy: 6 Carro Armato P40 _

_6 Carro Veloce CV. 33_

_6 Semovente da 75/18_

Frowning in thought, Byron pulled his pen from his pocket and began writing down which tanks would be best suited for certain jobs. Almost immediately, he wrote down that the CV.33's would be best suited for recon missions and for supporting high-speed hit-and-run operations. He would decide how and when to deploy the rest of the tanks when the proper time came.

"And now, if everyone's finished looking over their lists, there's two more items that you need to be informed of before you leave for the school ship..." Sinclair stated, getting everyone's attention. "The first and foremost is that Japan has certain customs in its Tankery games. Captain Chono has graciously volunteered to come onboard the ship with us and act as my assistant instructor. She will teach you these customs in order to have you prepared by the time we rendezvous with the Ooarai ship. The second...is your appearance. Now, I realize that each of you have your own particular set of clothes that you wear during combat but while we are in Japan, you will need to look like a more professional team. So, each of you will be given a brand new Tanker's uniform: one for warm weather conditions and an insulated jumpsuit for colder climates."

"Well, at least we don't have to wear a sailor _fuku_." Byron commented.

"Which is too bad, By..." Sinclair grinned. "Because I was just thinking about how cute you would look in one!"

The Colonel's comment prompted a round of good-natured laughter and teasing at Byron's expense. Once everyone had had their fun, Sinclair then turned the most important subject. "And now, we get to talk about your next match! I am sure that you've heard that actions speak louder than words, so Captain Chono and I have decided that the _best _way for the Ooarai team to fully appreciate your talents and the firepower that you'll be adding to their own, is for you to meet them in a friendly elimination match."

"So, we just go up to them, slap them in the face, and say "no hard feelings"?" Bulldog scoffed.

"Slap them in the face and kick them in the-!"

"COLONEL!" Byron bellowed in a warning tone. At the instructor's surprised look in his direction, Byron gestured over at where Pixie, Mary, and Martha were sitting. "Please sir, we have young ears in the room."

For a long and tense moment, Byron thought that he was going to be chewed out for yelling at his tank instructor. Instead, Sinclair broke out in laughter before turning his attention towards the three youngest members of the team. "I hope you'll accept my apologies, ladies." he said to them.

"You're forgiven!" Mary replied.

"Thank you!" Then clapping his hands together, Sinclair returned his attention to the teens. "Now that Commander Walker has been good enough to put an old warhorse like me in his place, are there any questions before you are dismissed?"

"Just one, sir!" Byron stated. "Since both Lone Star and Maple Leaf are going to be part of this shindig, does that mean that we can expect War Games?"

"One of the objectives of the International Goodwill Tournament _is _to show the world how the game is played here, so while I can't confirm it, I suggest that you prepare yourselves just in case a War Games event is announced! Which means that I suggest that you dust off your pistols, rifles, and other gear and brush up on your infantry tactics and deployment. However, I _can _confirm that there will be an R.A.T. event, as well as a marksmanship competition on the side. Which should make Mary quite a happy girl!"

"Oh yeah!" Mary smiled, rubbing her hands together. While her primary function on the team was the bazooka portion of the Tank Chasers, Mary was also quite capable with a rifle and had partaken in skeet shooting since she was nine.

"Any other questions?" When no one spoke, Sinclair nodded. "Very well. You'll have one full day tomorrow before you take the school flight to California, from there you will board the school ship! You are dismissed!"

* * *

><p>"Wow! I can't believe that we get to spend an entire year in <em>Japan!<em>" Pixie excitedly exclaimed as she climbed onto the back of the Kettenkrad with Mary while Martha made herself comfortable in the driver's seat.

"Well, believe it!" Byron said as he unhooked his horse- a palamino with a white mane and tail- from the rusted bicycle rack. One of the good things about living in a town like Tunstall was that it was quite common for teenagers to ride horses or motorcycles while saving their automobiles for long-distance travel. Leaning on the back of the Kettenkrad, he added. "It's going to be an adventure; meeting new people and learning about their way of life and we get to teach them ours. All while riding in our tanks and having fun!"

"And since we'll be getting ourselves hooked up with an all-girl team, maybe then you won't be moping around the house being as lonely as you have been..." Mary stated, giving him a look reminiscent to a mother's own.

"What do you mean, Mary?" Byron questioned. "How can I be lonely? I mean, I have you, Martha, and Pixie. How can I be lonely?"

"You know _exactly _what I'm talking about, By."

_This again_... Byron thought to himself irritably before calmly addressing his cousins and sister. "We've talked about this before..." he said. "And I thought that I had made it clear that I just don't have the time for any romantic relationships. You three have to come first..."

Byron then tapped the side of the Kettenkrad. "Alright, the sun's setting so I want you three to go straight home! The last thing you need is to give a mountain lion an opening to attack!"

As the three girls rode off towards the small ranch that served as their summer home, Byron gave his palamino a gentle pat. "You ready to ride, Trailblazer?" Swinging himself up into the saddle, Byron soon had Trailblazer galloping after his sister and cousins.


	3. New Tanks, New Recruits

**Chapter 3. New Tanks, New Recruits.  
><strong>

It seemed as though that the one free day had passed by in a flash before the Regulators were transported to the school ship that was called the _Tunstall_. The giant 8000 metre long craft was set up just like any other school ship with the exception that the buildings had been built to resemble a small mid-western town instead of a city while the residential area provided free housing to not only high school students, but to any families who had young children in addition to teenaged children. In fact, the _Tunstall_ contained three schools: Tunstall Elementary, Junior High, and High School.

The Tankery Club's motor pool was located near the ship's stern and it was here that Byron now stood with his team mates as they waited for Colonel Sinclair and Captain Chono to arrive. As he shifted uncomfortably in his new combat uniform; a Vietnam-era styled green uniform with black beret that made the team look like a special forces unit, Byron couldn't decide which he was more uncomfortable with: the uniform itself or the shiny silver Captain's bars that adorned his shirt collar. As far as the beret was concerned, he could always lose it somewhere.

In an effort to shake off his discomfort, Byron began inspecting the CV.33's. Like the rest of the Tunstall tanks, the Italian tankettes had been painted olive-green with the Tunstall logo emblazoned on the front hulls while an anti-tank rifle had been equipped to each one. They would certainly be far more useful than the machine gun equipped models that Byron had seen in the film clips of a school called Anzio. With their speed and agility, they would be perfect for recon and harassing full-sized tanks; possibly even take out their tracks and making it easier for a friendly tank to take out of commission.

While the acquisition of the tankettes was quite logical in order to give the Regulators a more equal footing if they were ever to face Anzio, Byron still couldn't for the life of him guess the reasoning for ordering the Tigers and King Tigers. Byron knew that they were good, solid tanks; the only problem that he had with them was that the German tanks required a total of five crew members in order to operate them. Quite different from the Shermans and Pershings that the Regulators used, which needed only four crew members minimum.

_If Sinclair wanted us to have more heavy tanks, why couldn't he have ordered more Pershings?_

He had the same problem with the new M3s, which were a six-man (or woman) job. He had no problem with the British or the Italian tanks but, in all honesty, Byron would prefer to trade the German tanks for more Pershings and replace the M3s with M24 Chaffees. The latter was probably due to some personal bias since Byron's first tank had been an M24. As a matter of fact, there was a group of four M24s stored away in one of the ship's old storage bays, if Byron remembered correctly. Perhaps he should make use of his authority and sort through the old manifests in order to be certain and if the Chaffees _were _on board, Byron would have them dragged out and dusted off while sticking the Tigers, King Tigers, and M3s into mothballs. Come to think of it, he might do the same to the rest of the new tanks unless an adequate amount of people were found to crew them.

Byron was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a tug on his shirt sleeve. Turning around, he found Pixie, Mary, and Martha standing in front of him. Each girl was wearing a variant of the uniform that the rest of Regulators now wore with olive-green shorts instead of trousers.

"Can we talk to you for a second?" Pixie asked with a serious expression on her face.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Do you remember what the man on TV said last night? About Tank Chasers being taken out of regular tank matches and made a separate game type altogether?" questioned Mary.

Byron did indeed remember the announcement that the girls were referring to and to tell the truth, he was quite happy about it because while most North American tankers obeyed the rules concerning Tank Chasers and some of them actually enjoyed the challenge of trying to escape from them, Mary and Martha had run into their fair share of hotheads and Byron was in no mood to bury one or both of them just because a hot-headed tank commander couldn't control themselves. The Walker family had endured enough death and tragedy.

"Yeah, I remember." Byron told them.

Mary swallowed hard before continuing on in a nervous but hopeful tone. "Well, since Martha and I can't be Chasers anymore, the three of us have talked it over and, if it's alright with you, we'd like to be a tank crew."

Of all the things that Byron had been expecting to hear, this request hadn't been one of them. "I...I see..." he replied. "And have you decided on which tank you want?"

"That Crusader Mk. III over there." Pixie announced as she pointed over at the British tank in question. "We... we know that it's a cruiser tank and not a medium or a heavy like the rest of the tanks. But its design requires three crew members to run it and since there's only three of us, I'd say that it's perfect!"

Looking over at the tank, Byron frowned as he processed the request. While he was thrilled that Mary and Martha had been forced out of the Tank Chasing business as they knew it, Byron also knew that they loved Tankery as much as he did and Pixie's time as the _Puma's _radiogirl had allowed her to learn the basics of being part of a tank crew. All three of them would be devastated if they were forced to quit the team.

"Have you decided on what positions you want to take?"

"Well, Pixie's gonna be the Commander and Loader..." Mary answered. "I'll be the Gunner and Martha, naturally, can be the driver."

To Byron, it was almost as if history were repeating itself as he himself had been Pixie's age when his older sister, Leslie, had made him a tank commander. The only difference, however, was that Byron had the feeling that Pixie would become the best tank commander in the family; even better, perhaps, than their own mother had been.

"Alright." he said, before giving his sister and cousins a firm look. "But, because you're just now starting out, you're going to have train twice as long and twice as hard in order to bring yourselves up to par with the rest of the team. You understand? It's going to be a lot of hard work and you can expect more than a few frustrations."

"We can handle it, By."

"I know you can..." Byron said, placing his hands on his little sister's shoulders and smiling down at her. "I'm just letting you know what to expect. Okay, let's go over there to Bulldog and get you registered as a new tank team."

Byron ushered the three younger girls over to the table where Bulldog stood with a clipboard. "So, what's on the agenda today, Bulldog?" he asked his vice-commander, who wore the ranking of Sergeant Major on his collar. Sinclair had originally wanted to give Bulldog the team ranking of Lieutenant but Bulldog had asked that he be given a Sergeant's ranking since Sergeants were the backbone of any military unit and since Bulldog's duties within the team was to help train the team on any and all new equipment, Bulldog's chosen ranking was actually rather logical. The rankings were more symbolic than anything else since Tunstall High School didn't have a JROTC program. The rest of the team commanders had been given Sergeants pins while Mary, Martha, and Pixie were made Corporals.

At the team captain's question, Bulldog looked up from his paperwork. "Well," he said frowning. "Captain Chono was nice enough to give us some insight on how this Miho Nishizumi works her team and it looks like she's as bad as you are!"

"What do you mean?"

"She comes up with these nutty ideas that make no bloody sense to anyone but herself and these nutty ideas are the reason why her Tankery team won the National Championship last year. And also, just like you, she looks out for her team mates! According to this, she was with this school with a name that I won't even try to pronounce and she left her tank in order to save a team mate of hers of drowning. That's the mark of a true leader, in my humble opinion!" Shutting the file closed and setting the folder on the desk, Bulldog then asked. "So, what do you need?"

"Well, these three-" Byron gestured at Pixie, Mary, and Martha. "have just decided to become our newest tank team! They've chosen that Mark III over there as their own."

"So, you've finally decided to join the big kids, have you?" Bulldog grinned down at Byron's sister and cousins. "Well, it's about time!" The British-American boy then began writing out the information on the registry. "Alright, you've picked the Crusader Mk. III. And who does what on your vehicle?"

"Commander and Loader." Pixie answered.

"Gunner." Mary said.

"Driver." spoke Martha.

Once he had written everything down, Bulldog asked. "And what is your tank's callsign?"

"We've decided to call it the _Lioness!_"

"Mom's Tankery nickname..." Byron guessed, as the feeling of _deja vu _returned full force. He had named his first tank _Melanie _after his mother. Melanie "the Lioness" Scott, as her name had been, had been the first female tank commander of Tunstall High and her nickname was more than well deserved. She had been quite the fighter up until the end of her life.

"Alright then!" Bulldog grinned as he finished writing up the new file. "I'll just pass this along to the office and you'll have your tank's callsign painted on before tomorrow morning!"

As the three girls celebrated, the large door to the tank garage slid open and Sinclair's aide stepped into the room and shouted. "OFFICER ON DECK!"  
>Immediately, the entire snapped to attention as Sinclair entered with Captain Chono, Earl Grey and Darjeeling. Unsurprisingly, Darjeeling was flanked by Orange Pekoe and Assam. Stepping to the center of the room, Sinclair smiled at the teenagers who were standing around him. "As you were, Regulators!" he said before launching into the reason why he had come.<p>

"Team, I have just received a schedule of the opening ceremony of the International Goodwill Tournament and you will undoubtedly be pleased to learn that the different schools will be meeting at Ooarai proper for the opening ceremonies. There will be a festival where you will be able to relax and enjoy yourselves. That same evening, Captain Walker and Sergeant Turing will attend the Commander's Banquet where they will meet your allies and get a glimpse of your foes! On the third day, the Ooarai Tankery team will meet the Regulators and become dismayed by the firepower that you will subject them to and overjoyed to have such a hard-hitting commando unit on their side! And now, I suggest that all of you go home and get some rest because we have a lot of training to do and a short time to do it in! Now, are there any comments or questions before you are dismissed?"

Byron quickly decided to voice his opinion on the matter. "Actually, sir, " he said. "I have my doubts on whether pitting us against a team who are supposed to become our allies is the best course of action! It seems more like a waste of time and energy to even consider this match because, quite frankly, with the tanks that they have and the tanks we have, we'd crush the Ooarai team in a matter of minutes and while we'd be proving that we have the firepower, it wouldn't do anything to prove whether or not we can even work together as one unit!"

"I see." Sinclair said, placing his hands behind his back and frowning at Byron. "And what would you suggest that we do?"

"I say that we go ahead and officiate the alliance and then set up a match where we and the Ooarai team are pitted against a common foe! While I'm certain that the Regulators can pick up their slack, this way will prove whether or not that the Ooarai team is even capable of picking up ours! This, I believe, would be a better use of each team's energy, time, and talents rather than having us going at each other!"

Sinclair stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger as he ran what Byron had just said through his mind. "I see your point." he said finally. "However, the only team available who would even come close to presenting a suitable challenge would be Saunders Girls High School!"

"They'll do!" Byron said immediately. From the files given to him by Darjeeling, Saunders was an American-themed school, or rather, a laughable imitation of an American school that had enough Shermans to field a good number of teams at one time. However, there was something about their commander's name that seemed familiar to Byron. When he had been twelve years old, Byron had a pen pal who was named Kay who lived in Japan and who was crazy about America and American tanks. But, it couldn't possibly be the same girl whose letters had brought a little light during a dark time in his young life as it was around this time that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

"Alright." Sinclair's voice said, breaking through Byron's reverie. "Once we arrive in Ooarai, I'll get together with the Ooarai team's top kick and arrange the match; which _will _be the first match of the Goodwill Tournament! Until then, I suggest that you train as hard as you can in order to be in top-notch condition! And unless there are anymore questions?" Sinclair paused for a moment to allow for anyone who wished to speak to do so. When no one spoke, he nodded. "And now then, you are all dismissed!"

* * *

><p>The Walker home on the school ship was a modest-looking two-story house with a garage, basement, and a good view of the ocean. Perfect for hiding the truth concerning the four Walker children. At the present moment, Pixie, Martha, and Mary were sitting at the kitchen table while Byron putting the finishing touches on the roast beef that he had spent a great deal of time cooking for that night's dinner.<p>

"Wow! That really smells good!" Pixie exclaimed as Byron set the roast beef down on the center of the table amongst the bowls of mashed potatoes and green beans. At her declaration, Byron gave his little sister a grin.

"Well, it _should _taste as good as it smells but if it doesn't... eat it anyway!"

It wasn't long before each girl's plate was filled with food but they waited until Byron had said grace before digging in. "So, how was the first day of school today?" Byron asked as he cut his roast beef into smaller portions.

"Fine!" the three chorused.

"We had to do a pop quiz in History class." Martha volunteered after swallowing a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "I only managed to get half of the answers right. I guess that it's a good thing that you've got all of those history books or else I would have gotten an F instead of a C-."

"Yeah. Mr. Turner likes to drop those pop quizzes on things the students haven't even studied yet!" Byron nodded. "I had him myself when I was in Junior High so I'm all too familiar with how he likes to work things. And how's the new Junior High Tankery Club? Are they enjoying their new tanks?"

The three girls gave each other a look before Mary answered. "They didn't get them."

Byron's fork dropped onto his plate with a clatter. "What? They were supposed to have gotten their tanks the same day that we got ours! I specifically told Sinclair not to forget that the Junior High team had requested ten M24s and four tankettes!"

"Well, Sinclair must have forgot anyway!" Pixie answered. "He was probably too busy using your money to buy all of them big tanks that he forgot that the Junior High team needed tanks too!"

Byron raised a finger in correction. "First off, it's _our _money! It comes from the company that Mom built and that _we -_ meaning you, me, and Leslie- now own and Mary and Martha have a stake in! It gives us something to live on as well as giving you three a college fund when the horse ranching business has slowed down. It also keeps the Child Protection Agency off of our backs, allowing us to stay together as a family!" Byron then picked up his fork and stabbed the prongs into a piece of roast beef as he added. "And after dinner, I'm going to give Bob a call and have him get in touch with the branch in Tokyo and see if they can't get their manufacturing plant to churn out some Chaffees for the Junior High. I'm also going to see if I can correct Sinclair's goof-up and order some tanks that the Regulators can actually use."

"So, what's going to happen to the tanks that Sinclair bought?" Martha asked.

"Well..." Byron sighed. "Once our schools have been officially allied, I'm going to let the Ooarai girls look them over and let them take whichever tanks they can use! The only ones I'm going to keep are the Hellcats and the Wolverines as well as your Crusader and the newly-crewed P40. And I'm going to have an order placed for four more Pershings as well as a Jumbo and an Easy Eight."

"Why do we need two more Shermans for?" Mary asked.

"Not _we_, sweetheart, _me_." Seeing that the girls were waiting for an explanation, Byron sighed again. "Girls, the _Puma _is a pretty old tank since she's an Original- that means that she's an actual tank built in the 1940's instead of being a replicate like the ones normally used in Senshadou. The _Puma _was Mom's tank when she was a teenager and Mom passed her on to Leslie and from Leslie to me. She's been in quite a few matches and she's taken quite a few beatings over her long and illustrious career. Anyway, the maintenance crew was giving her the scheduled yearly checkup and they found that the carbonized armor that protects the crew is starting to wear out."

"You mean, it has to be replaced?" Pixie asked, her eyes wide.

"Not immediately, no. But, I prefer to have it replaced as soon as possible instead of taking chances. That means that once the match with Saunders is over, I'm going have her sent to the factory in Tokyo and have the carbonized armor replaced; which will take at least eight months if they need to build a shell from scratch. If they have one already prepared, then it'll be at least two. In the meantime, I'm going to use the Easy-Eight as a fill-in while the Jumbo's going to be used if we end up going up against Pravda or Black Peaks before the new Pershings have arrived. And since it turns out that Saunders does business with Puma Industries to keep up their own supply of Shermans, I can probably have the new tanks waiting for me at the docks."

"Waitaminute!" Pixie cried. "Are you telling me that Saunders buys their tanks from us?"

"They're our best customers in Japan." Byron confirmed with a smile.

"But, aren't we helping our enemies?"

"They are not our enemies, Pix, they'll be our opponents!" Byron corrected his little sister. "Remember what Mom always used to say: Tankery isn't war! It's a sport that meant to be played for fun and in the truest spirit of sportsmanship! Besides, Saunders is an American-themed school and Puma Industries is the only company that builds American tanks and has a branch in Japan. Now, it's getting late and we have a full four days of school and training ahead of us before we reach Ooarai, so finish your dinner and get yourselves ready for bed."

* * *

><p><em>Well, guys: sorry for another short chapter but I'm still getting used to living by myself and I have a lot of real life problems to deal with. But anyways, I kind of like this rewritten chapter better than I do the version I originally posted. I also decided to reveal a few of Byron's secrets or have you guys never wondered why Byron has as much authority as Colonel Sinclair and exactly how a teenager who's only seventeen has full guardianship over his little sister and young cousins? To tell the truth, I think the fun is going to be him trying to keep his wealth a secret as well as having him do the most humiliating things in order to help others.<br>_

_SS-hedgehog-black: Well, here's your Kay connection with both the pen pal and the business dealings. _


	4. Sorry Guys!

_**Sorry everyone, but due to recent events as well as other things, I've lost my rhythm with this story. So, I am going to take this story as it is and give it a rewrite. I'll be making some minor changes to the tank complement as well as adding some new characters that came to mind during one of my brainstorms. I also want to expand on the introductory battle with St. Gloriana by bringing in Darjeeling's sempai. (I really wish they had put her in the anime so I could get an idea of her personality). **_

_**Hopefully you guys won't be disappointed. I'll still throw in some of the anime silliness so those of you who have whined and complained about me being a little outlandish, well I'm sure you get the hint. We're talking about an anime where the tanks go faster than the Millennium Falcon and people complain when I try to write along those lines. **_

_**Also, if it helps to serve the story by having Team Ooarai beaten like a drum, then I will do that. If it serves the story by having them win, I'll do that. **_

_**See you soon, guys!**_


End file.
